Inheritance Tax for Accountants - Spotting Planning Opportunities in Practice

Introduction

Accountants are increasingly at the forefront of identifying inheritance tax (IHT) risks and planning opportunities for SME owners, family businesses and property-rich clients. However, in practice, IHT considerations are often identified late - or not at all - within routine compliance and advisory work.

This new virtual classroom seminar is designed to bridge that gap by translating key IHT principles into a practical, accountant-focused framework for spotting opportunities early, having confident client conversations and knowing when to refer for specialist advice.

Through real-world examples and scenario-based discussion, this session will show how common accounting data points - from retained profits to dividend patterns and shareholder structures - can signal underlying estate planning issues and opportunities.

What You Will Learn

On completion of this live and interactive session, you will be able to:

• Identify common inheritance tax exposure points within SME, owner-managed and property-rich client structures
• Recognise practical ‘trigger points’ in routine accounting and tax work that indicate potential IHT planning opportunities
• Understand how key reliefs, including Business Property Relief (BPR) and Agricultural Property Relief (APR), operate in real client scenarios
• Apply a practical framework for linking business extraction strategies (dividends, remuneration and retained earnings) with long-term estate planning outcomes
• Understand the role and impact of lifetime gifting strategies in the context of owner-managed businesses and family wealth
• Navigate the interaction between income tax, capital gains tax and inheritance tax in common planning situations
• Work through a realistic case study demonstrating how different planning approaches can significantly alter tax and estate outcomes
• Know when to advise, document or refer complex IHT matters to specialist private client advisers

Recording of live sessions: Soon after the Learn Live session has taken place you will be able to go back and access the recording - should you wish to revisit the material discussed.